OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Work Experience Fabrik

Over the last two weeks I was lucky to have some work experience at Fabrik in Liverpool. The experience was excellent and benefitted me in many ways. Everyone was extremely friendly and gladly let me get involved in many projects. I spent time working with a creative director and senior designer, it was very useful to learn from people who have been in the industry for years. It was particularly useful to learn from designers who have worked in Liverpool as this was a great networking opportunity.

The main project that I was involved in was designing two brochures for a property development in Liverpool. The brochures aimed to promote the development to potential investors. This was great editorial experience and I learned many new tricks for using InDesign more effectively. I was also asked to produce a new branding for the building, this was asked for in a very short deadline, something I experienced a lot during my time there for other projects. Now I feel more prepared to handle the pressure of short deadlines. As a part of this project I also designed 'hoarding' which are the boards that surround building sites. This gave me experience with working with designs on a much larger scale and enabled me to think about how this would be viewed by the public. Similarly, I designed a 5m x 5m sign that required similar considerations. Another project I worked on was postcards for a Labour candidate for Liverpool Mayor - it was interesting to work on a project that had so much importance surrounding it and it has taught me to take care with my designs, especially with them going to print on a short deadline. I also gained some great client experience, mainly speaking to them on the phone trying to understand their requests and concerns, as well as learning to compromise with clients. For example, when to say no to a piece of work and when to work harder in order to maintain the clients loyalty.

One of the perks for me was the networking I received as a result. The studio were very pleased with the help that I gave and the work that I produced. They have offered me more work experience if I want to return, and have offered references if I ever need them. They have also encouraged me to keep in contact, offering personal emails. I have also been able to connect with some of them on LinkedIn. Furthermore, a freelance designer who used the space was able to speak to a studio in Liverpool where I have applied to work. The overall positivity of my time there has also been a confidence boost, especially after being told that I didn't seem like a graduate, but someone who had already worked in the industry. This gives me confidence that I have the edge against the competition.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 01 - Digital Portfolio

I recently created a digital portfolio to start sending for both job applications and work experience applications. For this I applied my personal branding for a consistent approach across all my employment documents. I aimed to include a mixture of projects to show variety, but focussing on my interests (Editorial, packaging, branding and illustration). As this is a digital portfolio, I have included a brief description of each project to give context to the images. I also included some tags to categorise the techniques used for each project to make my work and interests clear. I also aimed to include less than 8 projects that I was very happy with to keep it brief and maintain attention.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Job Applications Liverpool

As advised from individuals and the Career Track sessions, I have started my Job search as soon as possible. I have been able to use handouts provided from the 'How to get a Job' career track session to guide my job search. I have regularly been searching on a mixture of websites including a mixture of both creative and non-creative such as Creative Review Jobs and Reed - this ensures I see every job advertised. I have uploaded my CV (created in another career track session) to several job sites and have received some interest as a result of this. Furthermore, I am following many studios on social media to see if any jobs are advertised here.

There is difficulty as I am limiting my job search to just Liverpool. I enjoy Liverpool as a city and working there will suit my personal circumstances so it is ideal for me overall. However, there have been few jobs advertised for this area that I can apply for. I may extend my search to Manchester if opportunities are not arising. There is the option of contacting work placements - however I would like to see if a preferred job comes up and if not, I will contact these studios later in the year.